Drinking cup construction



March 5, 1963 J. P. GRAM DRINKING CUP CONSTRUCTION Filed May 22, 1962 INVENTOR. IAME$ 62AM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,089,031 DRINKHQG CUP CONSTRUCTEGN James P. Gram, 89 For-its Road 32., Welland Junction, Ontario, Canada Filed l ay 22, 1952, Ser. No. 196,677 6 Claims. (Cl. 215-1) This invention relates to the general fleld of receptacles and, more specifically, the instant invention pertains to drinking cups, mugs and similar liquid-carrying containers.

One of the primary ob ects of this invention is to provide a drinking cup or mug of any desirable impervious material together with means to detachably secure a spoon or other type of agitator thereto in such a manner as to prevent contact of the spoon with a counter, table, or other support, whereby inadvertent contamination of the spoon is prevented.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drinking cup having means thereon for detachably connecting a spoon or other similar article thereto, the spoon having means thereon coacting with the cup to prevent inadvertent detachment of the spoon from the cup.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drinking cup having means thereon for detachably mounting a spoon together with a well formed in the exterior side of the cup to receive the bowl and shank of the spoon and wherein the peripheral edge of the spoon makes a substantially line contact with the cup to prevent liquid seepage.

This invention contemplates the provision of a combined liquid receptacle and spoon or agitator for the liquid contained therein, the combination being non-complex in construction and assembly, inexpensive to manufacture, and durable in use.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the appended specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective Vi w of a combined drinking cup or mug together with a spoon;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of a combined drinking cup and spoon as assembled;

FiGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the combined drinking cup and spoon as assembled;

FIGURE 4 is :a detail cross-sectional view of the assembly, FIGURE 4 being taken on the vertical plane of line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a detail cross-sectional view, this figure being taken on the horizontal plane of line 55 of PI"- URE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail, cross-sectional view, FIGURE 6 being taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The instant invention involves the construction of a drinking cup or mug and an especially constructed spoon associated in combination therewith, the combination being designed in the interests of sanitation and cleanlimess. To this end, the cup or mug, designated, in general, by the reference numeral 3%, is seen to comprise a substantially hollow receptacle formed of an impervious material of any desired color, the cup 300 including an upright continuous peripheral sidewall 302 arising from a lower end closure wall 394. The sidewall 362 is shown as flaring upwardly and outwardly from the closure wall 304 and as being of inverted frusto-conical configuration, but other shapes could be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

The closure wall 31% also includes a circumferential flange or head 306 which depends therefrom to hold the wall 3th! in elevated position above a supporting surface 3,080,081 Patented Mar. 5:, 1963 (not shown) and to serve a further function to be described below.

The sidewall 302 is provided with an inverted U-shaped flattened area 308 that opens downwardly into an arcuate recess or well 310, the outer side of the well 310 being delineated by an outwardly-bulging or extending crescentshaped flange 312 which arises from the bead 306 in spaced relation relative to the adjacent exterior portion of the sidewall 302. The sidewall 302 is juxtaposed with respect to the flange 312 and formed with a substantially planar contour (see FIGURES 4 and 5) so that the peripheral edge 314 of the bowl 316 of the spoon 318 makes a substantially line or sealing contact therewith when the spoon 318 is inserted within the well 310.

The cup or mug 300 is also formed with an integral handle 320 which includes the radially-extending top and bottom stems 322, 324 and an intermediate connecting shank 326. The upper stem 322 is cut-away at 328 to form a groove 330 closed at its outer side by a wedging flange 332. The upper stern 322 is also undercut at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis thereof to provide a cam face or surface 334 (see FIGURES 3, 4 and 6).

The spoon 318 is formed with a shank 335, the outer end of which is fixedly connected with the convex side of the bowl 316 at a point spaced away from the periphery 314 thereof. The shank 336, adjacent to, but spaced rom the outer end thereof, is integral with or has fixedly secured thereto an Lshaped bracket 338 formed of a resilient material and having a leg portion 34o projecting laterally therefrom toward the opening or concave side of the bowl 316. The leg portion 340 is spaced axially of the shank ass as to releasably engage below the cam face 334 when the bowl 316 of the spoon 318 is inserted within the well 316. The shank 335 is of such length as to permit a portion thereof to enter the groove 331 behind the wedging flange 332 when the bowl 316 is disposed in the well 330, and the shank terminates in an outer end portion 336A which projects above the stem 322.

The periphery 314 of the bowl 316 makes, as has been stated above, line or sealing engagement with adjacent portions of the sidewall 302 whereby any liquid adhering to the bowl of the spoon does not leak or seep from the concave side of the bowl 316 to be deposited within the well 310 when the bowl 316 of the spoon 318 is disposed therein. The flange 346 looks under the cam face or surface 334 and these elements taken together with the cres cent-shaped flange 312 prevent both axial and lateral displacement or inadvertent separation of the spoon 318 from the cup or mug 390.

It will be noted that the crescent-shaped flange 312 extends upwardly a suflicient distance to embrace the inner end of the spoon 31S, and the extent of this flange prevents the fiowback of liquids which may be deposited within the well 310 from being displaced therefrom when the cup or mug 300 is raised into a drinking position.

To detach the spoon 318 from the cup 300 it is only necessary for the user to grasp the end 336A and to push the same forwardly toward the sidewall 302 to dislodge the shank 336 from within the groove 33%}, after which the spoon may be moved vertically and the bowl 316 removed from the well 319. The flat portion 308 of the sidewall 302 permits the shank 336 to pass smoothly across the sidewall 332 and without binding thereon.

Having described and illustrated one embodiment of this invention in detail, it will be understood that the same is offered merely by way of example, and that this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1

1. In combination, a drinking receptacle having a con tinuous sidewall and a closure wall extending across one end thereof, said sidewall having a recess formed therein adjacent said one end, a stem fixedly secured to said side'- "wall and projecting radially therefrom, a table utensil having an elongated shank and terminating in an end to be releasably disposed within said recess, and said shank, adjacent the other end thereof, having a bracket member engageable with said stem to prevent axial displacement "of said utensil from said recess.

2. In combination, a drinking receptacle having a continuous sidewall and a closure wall extending transversely across one end thereof, said sidewall having a flanged recess formed therein on the exterior side thereof adjacent said closure wall, a stem projecting laterally'from said sidewall adjacent the other end thereof, said stem having a flanged groove formed therein facing in the same direction as said recess, a spoon having a concave-convex bowl and a shank portion, said bowl being irisertable within said recess to efiect li'ne contact with adjacent portions of said sidewall, and said shank having a portion engageable within said flanged groove, said flanged recess and said flanged groove cooperating with said bowl and shank to prevent and lateral displacement of said spoon from said receptacle.

3.'In combination, a drinking receptacle having a continuous sidewall and a closure wall extending across one end thereof, a supporting bead integral with said side and closure walls, said sidewall and said bead having a connecting recess formed therein, a handle for said receptacle including a stern projecting radially from said sidewall, said stem havinga flanged groove formed therein, a spoon having an elongated substantially flat shank terminating at one end in a concave-convex bowl, said bowl having a substantially uniplan'a'r peripheral edge, said bowl being receivable within said recess with said edge making submanually line conta t with adjacent portionsor said sidewall, and said shank having a portion thereof releasably engageable within said flanged groove.

4. A drinking receptacle comprising a continuous sidewall having a closure wall extending across one end thereof, a supporting bead integral with said side and closure 'w'alls, s'aid sidewall and bead having a connecting recess formed therein to provide a liquid-retaining well, a handle for said receptacle including a stem projecting radially from said sidewall, said stem having a flanged groove formed therein opening in a direction toward said sidewall and an undercut cam face, a spoon having an elongated substantially fiat shank and termiating at one end in a concave-convex bowl, said shank connecting with said bowl on the convex side thereof and being spaced from its periphery, said periphery of said bowl complementing the contour of said sidewall in said recess to make line contact therewith when disposed therein, said shank having a portion engageable within said flanged j groove and a leg projecting laterally therefrom for slidvertically-spaced stems projecting radially from said sidewall and an upright connecting shanktextending ther'ebetween, the uppermost one of said stems having a flanged groove formed therein to receive the shank of a table utensil, and said sidewall adjacent said closure wall having a recms formed therein to receive one of the terminal ends of said utensil therein.

6. A drinking receptacle comprising a continuous sidewall having a closure wall extending across one end thereof, said receptacle having a handle including a pair of vertically-spaced stems projecting laterally and radially from said sidewall and an upright connecting shank extending therebetween, the uppermost one of said stems having a flanged groove formed therein to receive the shank of a table utensil and an undercut surface to be releasably engaged with a projecting portion of said shank of said utensil, and said sidewall having a recess formed therein adjacent the closure wall to receive one terminal end of said utensil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Calef DCC. 609,431 Harper Aug. 23, 1898 1,276,018 Blaetus e Aug. 20, 1918 2,012,637 Ribley Aug. 27., 1 935 2,546,463 Lustig et a1 Mar. 27, 1951 

2. IN COMBINATION, A DRINKING RECEPTACLE HAVING A CONTINUOUS SIDEWALL AND A CLOSURE WALL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS ONE END THEREOF, SAID SIDEWALL HAVING A FLANGED RECESS FORMED THEREIN ON THE EXTERIOR SIDE THEREOF ADJACENT SAID CLOSURE WALL, A STEM PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM SAID SIDEWALL ADJACENT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID STEM HAVING A FLANGED GROOVE FORMED THEREIN FACING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID RECESS, A SPOON HAVING A CONCAVE-CONVEX BOWL AND A SHANK PORTION, SAID BOWL BEING INSERTABLE WITHIN SAID RECESS TO EFFECT LINE CONTACT WITH ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID SIDEWALL, AND SAID SHANK HAVING A PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITHIN SAID FLANGED GROOVE, SAID FLANGED RECESS AND SAID FLANGED GROOVE COOPERATING WITH SAID BOWL AND SHANK TO PREVENT AXIAL AND LATERAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID SPOON FROM SAID RECEPTACLE. 